County Championship: Lancashire close day one on 296-8 against Hampshire

Last Updated: 29/08/13 6:44pm

Luke Procter: Has now scored five successive Championship fifties for Lancashire

Lancashire trio Luis Reece, Ashwell Prince and Luke Procter all hit half-centuries to help the league leaders make solid progress on a fluctuating first day of their LV= Division Two County Championship match against Hampshire at Southport.

By the close Glen Chapple's side had reached 296-8 with Procter unbeaten on 65, his fifth successive fifty in the Championship.

However, Lancashire's batsmen had been made to work hard by a persevering Hampshire attack which included 16-year-old off-spinner Brad Taylor, who became the youngest player ever to represent the county in the championship, and debutant Matt Coles.

Left-arm seamer James Tomlinson, who was selected in preference to Hamza Riazuddin, finished with 3-56 off 23 overs.

Only in the last hour or so before lunch, when 109 runs were scored off 19 overs, was batting made to look a straightforward business as Prince and Reece milked the visiting attack in a 120-run stand which occupied just 26 overs.

Prior to that partnership, 24 runs had been scored off the opening 14 overs of the match - Paul Horton edging Tomlinson to James Vince at slip to become the first casualty in the fifth over.

Andrea Agathangelou and Steven Croft sought to rebuild the innings after the departures of Prince for 63 and Reece for 50 either side of lunch.

The pair's laborious efforts ended when Croft, playing place of the injured Simon Katich, was caught by Michael Roberts at short leg off Liam Dawson for nine and Agathangelou followed three overs later for 30 when he could only fend Kent loanee Coles to Vince at third slip.

But with Procter still at the crease, Lancashire may even hope to collect a fourth batting bonus point on the second morning of a match in which victory for the league leaders would all but clinch promotion.